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i recall john ashcroft quoting from the transcripts and the intelligence we had at the time. >> paul, what do you make of this? first of all, i wasn't there. fran was. i have great respect for her. this is an eyewitness account from a member of the bush cabinet that says political pressure was brought to bear on him. they raise the threat level three days after the democratic convention. when they did at the time, senior law enforcement officials were telling "the washington post" there was nothing new here and they could not understand why the bushed amanage was raising the threat level. you look at the fact that karl rove, the president's chief political adviser had a strategy memo, a political strategy memo, that had been leaked. the first three words was, focus on war. you look at the fact that president bush scheduled the vote for the war itself three weeks to the day before the 2002 midterm. again and again and again, the bush administration did politicize national security. it makes you think governor ridge has the better argument here. >> why was the threat level raised just d
i recall john ashcroft quoting from the transcripts and the intelligence we had at the time. >> paul, what do you make of this? first of all, i wasn't there. fran was. i have great respect for her. this is an eyewitness account from a member of the bush cabinet that says political pressure was brought to bear on him. they raise the threat level three days after the democratic convention. when they did at the time, senior law enforcement officials were telling "the washington...
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Aug 22, 2009
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ridge says in a new book he felt pressured by john ashcroft and donald rumsfeld and others to raise the terror alert level four days before the 2004 election without he believes any legitimate justification. he writes in his book, there was absolutely no support for that position within our department. none. i wondered is this about security or politics? he adds, i consider that episode to be not only dramatic moments in washington's recent history but another illustration of the intersection of politics, fear, credibility and security. the reaction from some bush loyalists was swift. former chief of staff, andy card telling politico "we went over backward repeatly and with great discipline to make sure politics did not influence national security or homeland security decisions. " corallo says -- now would be a good time for mr. ridge to use his emergency duct tape. frances townsend, a cnn national security adviser and political contributor paul begala. do you believe tom ridge is trying to sell books here? >> absolutely. i will tell you, anderson, it is interesting to me. secretary nap
ridge says in a new book he felt pressured by john ashcroft and donald rumsfeld and others to raise the terror alert level four days before the 2004 election without he believes any legitimate justification. he writes in his book, there was absolutely no support for that position within our department. none. i wondered is this about security or politics? he adds, i consider that episode to be not only dramatic moments in washington's recent history but another illustration of the intersection...
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attorney general john ashcroft and defense secretary donald rumsfeld wanted it. at least one former bush administration figure, though, disputes ridge's version of events. >> not only do i not think that it played, politics played any part of it at all, it wasn't discussed. the only thing discussed was earlier that summer there was a threat against the financial district and the bin laden tape and then another tape, kiran, by a u.s. citizen by a member of al qaeda and it was a threatening tape and the discussion revolved around what the discussion was. >> in the end the terror alert level was not raised and tom ridge resigned november 30th, weeks after the election. >>> victims' families are calling these pictures from libya deeply upsetting, deeply distressing. a huge crowd in tripoli celebrated al megrahi's arrival. he was released from a scottish prison after only eight years of a life sentence. he was set free because he's dying of prostate cancer a decision president barack obama called a mistake. some family members agree. >> it's hard for me to believe it.
attorney general john ashcroft and defense secretary donald rumsfeld wanted it. at least one former bush administration figure, though, disputes ridge's version of events. >> not only do i not think that it played, politics played any part of it at all, it wasn't discussed. the only thing discussed was earlier that summer there was a threat against the financial district and the bin laden tape and then another tape, kiran, by a u.s. citizen by a member of al qaeda and it was a threatening...
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donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft pressured him to raise the terror alert level just days before the 2004 election. osama bin laden had just put out a new video. ridge says he thought the real motivation was to scare voters and he didn't go along with it. fran townsend doesn't remember it that way. president bush's homeland security adviser and now a cnn contributor. >> i'm co-chairing along with bill webster a bipartisan task force to make recommendations to secretary napolitano about the advisory system. we asked tom ridge and chertoff talk to the panel. tom ridge never mentioned any concern about politicization of the thread advisory system. you've got to believe this is personally motivated in some way. >> tom ridge isn't the first administration higher up to write a book. scott mcclelland wrote this scathing memoir. he claims bush's inner circle relied on propaganda to sell the war in iraq. speaking of iraq, the former head of coalition forces, ricardo sanchez describes chaos on the battlefield and blames the bush administration. >>> former attorney general john ashcroft looks b
donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft pressured him to raise the terror alert level just days before the 2004 election. osama bin laden had just put out a new video. ridge says he thought the real motivation was to scare voters and he didn't go along with it. fran townsend doesn't remember it that way. president bush's homeland security adviser and now a cnn contributor. >> i'm co-chairing along with bill webster a bipartisan task force to make recommendations to secretary napolitano about...
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john ashcroft's spokesman was more blunt. he told the "new york times" the incident did not happen. now would be a good time for mr. ridge to use his emergency duct tape. frances townsend, a cnn national security adviser and political contributor paul begala. do you believe tom ridge is trying to sell books here? >> absolutely. i will tell you, anderson, it is interesting to me. secretary napolitano, the current secretary asked a bipartisan group to consider suggestions to improve the terror alert system. i'm co-chairing that group. we asked for secretary ridge to express his -- see the group, talk to us and express his suggestions. that was less than three weeks ago. he never mentioned concern about politicization. >> in 2005 he said publicly and it was quoted in "usa today" at the time though people didn't pay attention, more often than not we were the least inclined to raise it. sometimes we disagreed with intelligence assessments. sometimes when the intelligence was good you don't necessarily put the country on alert. sometimes people were aggressive about raising it and we said
john ashcroft's spokesman was more blunt. he told the "new york times" the incident did not happen. now would be a good time for mr. ridge to use his emergency duct tape. frances townsend, a cnn national security adviser and political contributor paul begala. do you believe tom ridge is trying to sell books here? >> absolutely. i will tell you, anderson, it is interesting to me. secretary napolitano, the current secretary asked a bipartisan group to consider suggestions to...
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in a new book, ridge said he resisted that move despite being urged by donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft. the administration manipulated the terror alert level for political reasons. ridge said the event reinforced his decision to resign. however, other bush insiders are insisting there was no intent to a little bit size national security. >>> he was convicted of killing 270 people in a devastating terrorist attack back in 1998 -- excuse me, 1988. but now after serving just eight years of his life sentence, a former libyan agent is a freeman. scottish officials released him on compassionate grounds. the 5-year-old has terminal cancer. his early release has triggered outrage among families of the victims who were killed in lockerbie, scotland. >>> the cash for clunkers rebate program is out of gas after a run that was, well, almost too successful. as nbc's leanne gregg reports, drivers still have until next monday to take advantage. >> reporter: not much time left for those wanting to cash in on their clunker. the program that some are calling one of the government's most successful econo
in a new book, ridge said he resisted that move despite being urged by donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft. the administration manipulated the terror alert level for political reasons. ridge said the event reinforced his decision to resign. however, other bush insiders are insisting there was no intent to a little bit size national security. >>> he was convicted of killing 270 people in a devastating terrorist attack back in 1998 -- excuse me, 1988. but now after serving just eight years...
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he was pressured by top bush administration officials including secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft to raise the terror threat level from yellow to orange the weekend before the 2004 re-election election. >> ridge says there was no intelligence to justify raising the threat level and he writes in his book, i wondered, is this about security or politics? he says there is a tense debate. he won. the issue never even reached the president. but it did reinforce ridge's decision to leave the administration. >> ridge says the drama played out after osama bin laden had released a pre-election message critical of bush. >>> in libya tonight, the only person convicted in the 1988 bombing of pan am flight 103 is now a free man. >> the convicted terrorist returns home walking free from a scottish prison after two decades of unleashing the worst terror attack ever on british soil. >> the anger and outrage over the bombing of pan am flight 103 flared again today when this picture flashed around the world. a libyan agent convicted in the attack that killed 270 people getting welcomed home today as
he was pressured by top bush administration officials including secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft to raise the terror threat level from yellow to orange the weekend before the 2004 re-election election. >> ridge says there was no intelligence to justify raising the threat level and he writes in his book, i wondered, is this about security or politics? he says there is a tense debate. he won. the issue never even reached the president. but it did reinforce ridge's decision to...
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ridge writing -- "attorney general john ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the threat delve and was supported by donald rumsfeld. there was no support for that decision in our department. i wondered is this about security or politics?" mr. ashcroft saying, didn't happen. now would be a good time for mr. ridge to use his emergency duct tape. from mr. rumsfeld's office, more of an attempt in a statement that reads, a storyline seemingly to sell copies of the book is nonsense. in his defense, incredibly, rumsfeld quotes frequently and at length osama bin laden. given those facts, the statement continues as if there were facts, it would seem reasonable for senior administration officials to discuss the threat level, talking about the time before the 2004 election, it would have been irresponsible to had that discussion not taken place. all of that carefully missing the point. mr. ridge knew the discussion had to take place after a new bin laden tape was released. he writes about that at length. most notably, the timing of the tape may have been a surprise, the content was not. from sept
ridge writing -- "attorney general john ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the threat delve and was supported by donald rumsfeld. there was no support for that decision in our department. i wondered is this about security or politics?" mr. ashcroft saying, didn't happen. now would be a good time for mr. ridge to use his emergency duct tape. from mr. rumsfeld's office, more of an attempt in a statement that reads, a storyline seemingly to sell copies of the book is nonsense. in his...
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ridge says the pressure came from defense secretary donald rums fields and attorney general john ashcroft. in the end, the terror level was not raised and ridge resigned. his revelation is contained in a book that is actually coming out next month. >>> a naked passenger forced a southwest airlines flight to make an emergency landing. this happened yesterday on a flight from oakland, california, to st. louis. according to police, the 21- year-old man showed himself to a female passenger, actually punched her in the face, and then took his clothes off. passengers say it happened very quickly. >> the flight attendant was like sir, you have to sit down. and he kind of -- he had no clothes on. he had a baseball hat and socks. >> reporter: the crew and passengers were able to subdue the man. the flight returned to oakland. the man was arrested and it turns out he was wanted on an outstanding drug warrant. the woman that he punched was treated for minor injuries at a local hospital. >>> a medical center in southern california is welcoming a bouncing bundle of joy to its hospital staff. and the n
ridge says the pressure came from defense secretary donald rums fields and attorney general john ashcroft. in the end, the terror level was not raised and ridge resigned. his revelation is contained in a book that is actually coming out next month. >>> a naked passenger forced a southwest airlines flight to make an emergency landing. this happened yesterday on a flight from oakland, california, to st. louis. according to police, the 21- year-old man showed himself to a female...
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prisons it started with ted kennedy knowing what the right thing was and john ashcroft having no idea and he was just that kind of guy that's going to be a huge loss for all of us. >> well, ben, let's listen to ted kennedy talking about the inheritance, the desegregation movement from his brother, from his older brother, jack kennedy. >> my brother was the first president of the united states to state publicly that segregation was morally wrong. his heart and his soul are in this bill. his life and death had a meaning that we should not hate but love one another. we should use our powers not to create conditions of oppression that lead to violence but conditions of freedom that lead to peace. >> that, of course, was ted kennedy talking about the landmark civil rights bill in 1964 when the president was lyndon johnson and of course this was only a few months after the dreadful assassination. ben, who is going to be the leader in the senate for all of these issues? can you see anyone on the horizon? >> you know, there are great people. there are folks like chuck schumer who are good on
prisons it started with ted kennedy knowing what the right thing was and john ashcroft having no idea and he was just that kind of guy that's going to be a huge loss for all of us. >> well, ben, let's listen to ted kennedy talking about the inheritance, the desegregation movement from his brother, from his older brother, jack kennedy. >> my brother was the first president of the united states to state publicly that segregation was morally wrong. his heart and his soul are in this...
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ashcroft. ridge says the episode persuaded him to leave the administration. >> it was easy to laugh afterwards but during it you don't realize how captive you are at 29,000 feet in a small airplane with such a big guy. and when you think back on it, it was scary. >> high-flying flasher forces a southwest plane to make an emergency landing. during the flight, the man exposed himself to the woman sitting right next to him and then punched her in the face. he did not cooperate with flight attendants. police say he was completely naked when he was taken off the plane. >>> wal-mart is recalling more than 1.5 million dvd players because they could overheat and burst into flames. you should knopp suing the dvd player. >>> here's one recall for anyone with a baby in the house. parents, you are being urged right now about the simplicity bassinets. two infants trapped and killed. the cpsc says if the velcro fasten flat covering the metal bars in the bassinet are not properly adjusted then it could be dan
ashcroft. ridge says the episode persuaded him to leave the administration. >> it was easy to laugh afterwards but during it you don't realize how captive you are at 29,000 feet in a small airplane with such a big guy. and when you think back on it, it was scary. >> high-flying flasher forces a southwest plane to make an emergency landing. during the flight, the man exposed himself to the woman sitting right next to him and then punched her in the face. he did not cooperate with...
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ashcroft. quote, the attorney general was informed the waterboard had been used 119 times on a single individual, unquote. in congressional testimony last year, ashcroft says waterboarding was rarely used. >> my understanding is it's been done three times. >> reporter: the cia has long sus suspended the harshest techniques. cia director leon panetta said, this agency made no excuses for behavior, however rare, on the guidelines on terrorism. they also took the cia out of the terrorism business, by creating a new unit that report to the fbi. >>> lawmakers want libyan leader that he is not welcome in new york. he will address the u.n. next month. outrage over the visit intensified last week when libya gave a hero's welcome to the only man convicted in the 1988 pan am bombing. he was released by scotland because he is dying of cancer. >>> a symbol of rebirth has come full-circle at ground zero. it was the last beam standing after the twin towers fell, seen as a saeb of defiance in the face of terr
ashcroft. quote, the attorney general was informed the waterboard had been used 119 times on a single individual, unquote. in congressional testimony last year, ashcroft says waterboarding was rarely used. >> my understanding is it's been done three times. >> reporter: the cia has long sus suspended the harshest techniques. cia director leon panetta said, this agency made no excuses for behavior, however rare, on the guidelines on terrorism. they also took the cia out of the...
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ridge says former defense secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft urged raising the level. ridge objected and the claim was rejected. >>> two men walk away from a fiery crash near teterboro airport in new jersey. sally thorner reports they were badly burned but alive. >> reporter: a smoldering pile of wreckage is all that's left from a small plane that crashed in a parking lot near new jersey's teterboro airport. somehow the pilot and copilot managed to get out. >> i saw the wreckage, and they both said we were in the plane. so i was taken aback. how did you walk away from this? >> reporter: both men are severely burned, one with burns over 30% of his body, but both are conscious and talk. >> i tried to get a story from them, but they were both in shock. they didn't realize what was going on. >> reporter: the twin engine aircraft was carrying medical specimens for quest diagnostics. they were attempting to land when something went drastically wrong. >> at some point it attempted to do a go-around to aboard the landing, and during that time it climbed a little bit, then stru
ridge says former defense secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft urged raising the level. ridge objected and the claim was rejected. >>> two men walk away from a fiery crash near teterboro airport in new jersey. sally thorner reports they were badly burned but alive. >> reporter: a smoldering pile of wreckage is all that's left from a small plane that crashed in a parking lot near new jersey's teterboro airport. somehow the pilot and copilot managed to get out. >> i...
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ashcroft. the alert level was not raised in response to a release of a video from osama bin laden. ridge isn't talking yet, but his publisher says pressure to raise the security level persuaded ridge to leave the administration. >>> intelligence officials say a missile apparently fired from a u.s. drone this morning destroyed a suspected taliban hideout and killed at least a dozen people. it was in the north waziristan region on the afghan bore ter. since last year, the u.s. has launched more than 40 missile attacks on al qaeda and taliban targets in the area. >>> they're counting ballots from afghanistan's presidential election, but preliminary results aren't expected for days. only about 40% to 50% of country's 15 million registered voters defied taliban threats of violence and went to the polls. some of the 36 candidates are making claims of vote fraud. both president hamid karzai and his chief rival ab budullah abdullah are claiming victory. >>> as it stands now, u.s. troop strength by the
ashcroft. the alert level was not raised in response to a release of a video from osama bin laden. ridge isn't talking yet, but his publisher says pressure to raise the security level persuaded ridge to leave the administration. >>> intelligence officials say a missile apparently fired from a u.s. drone this morning destroyed a suspected taliban hideout and killed at least a dozen people. it was in the north waziristan region on the afghan bore ter. since last year, the u.s. has...
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ridge says former defense secretary, donald rumsfeld, and former attorney general, john ashcroft, both leaned on him to make the change. him to follow through with the decision to leave the administration. >>> plaxico burress faces two jeers in jail after a guilty plea. burress accidentally shot himself with a handgun at a new york nightclub last year. he was carrying it illegally and could have gotten more than three years in prison if convicted in a trial. >>> the cleanup job is far from over in the midwest, after line of violent storms ripped through the area wednesday night. hundreds of volunteers are removing debris in central illinois, where two, fierce tornadoes touched down, flattening dozens of homes and uprooting trees. a number of people were injured. but luckily,o one was killed. >>> and now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. late day showers and thunderstorms from new england, to florida andlong the gulf coast. gusty winds, hail and lightning, especially from maine to maryland. light rain around the great lakes and scattered showers in the southern rockies
ridge says former defense secretary, donald rumsfeld, and former attorney general, john ashcroft, both leaned on him to make the change. him to follow through with the decision to leave the administration. >>> plaxico burress faces two jeers in jail after a guilty plea. burress accidentally shot himself with a handgun at a new york nightclub last year. he was carrying it illegally and could have gotten more than three years in prison if convicted in a trial. >>> the cleanup...
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ashcroft pushed him to raise the levels before the 2004 presidential election. he details his account in a forthcoming book called "the test of our times "and he wrote in the book, i wondered is this about security or politics. if you have been wondering about the cia outsourcing missions in afghanistan are true another former intelligence officer is saying yeah, they are. he returned from a meeting with that former agent at the white house. >> neil livings stone not only served as a former intelligence officer but runs a firm providing logistical support in iraq and afghanistan. i sat down and posed the question is the cia using contractors to hunt al-qaeda and the taliban. his unequivocal answer, yes, they are and what's more they have been doing it for a while he says. >> obama is taking a much more antiseptic attitude with respect to how you get these guys but he is still doing the same thing. target these guys, kill them and move on. >> reporter: livingstone says the practice isn't new but a departure from the bush administration's tactics that used cia con
ashcroft pushed him to raise the levels before the 2004 presidential election. he details his account in a forthcoming book called "the test of our times "and he wrote in the book, i wondered is this about security or politics. if you have been wondering about the cia outsourcing missions in afghanistan are true another former intelligence officer is saying yeah, they are. he returned from a meeting with that former agent at the white house. >> neil livings stone not only served...
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ridge says the came from defense secretary donald rumsfeld and attorney general john ashcroft. in the end the terror level was not raised and ridge stepped down. ridge's revelation is contained in a new book he's written coming out next month and that brings us to the mail bag question, do you think his contention he was pressured by the bush administration to raise the threat level is a means to help book sales is he another exofficial trying to catch in or a man of integrity trying to set the record straight. the address is mailbag@wusa9.com. >>> coming up, imagine walking in to a bank for a loan with a hunk of cheese as a collateral. may sound weird. see how one bank is taking the term packing cheese to a new level. >>> and topper is back with the full forecast. there's storms out keep it righ óçb@ >>> a warning for parents now whose kids will be going back to school on monday in dc. the city is requiring new vaccinations before your child can head back to the classroom. 9 news now digital correspondent, audrey barnes has a checklist. >> reporter: some students don't fear
ridge says the came from defense secretary donald rumsfeld and attorney general john ashcroft. in the end the terror level was not raised and ridge stepped down. ridge's revelation is contained in a new book he's written coming out next month and that brings us to the mail bag question, do you think his contention he was pressured by the bush administration to raise the threat level is a means to help book sales is he another exofficial trying to catch in or a man of integrity trying to set the...
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so, i think that john ashcroft's independence and integrity deserves a little bit of respect. if he thought that there was a reason to do so, he probably had some pretty good reasons. he may not have been right, but he believed so. don rumsfeld, i mean, it is hard to imagine a less politically sensitive person than don rumsfeld. >> we all know tom ridge, a former governor of pennsylvania. he was on the short list to be john mccain's running mate last year. he's a pretty serious guy. >> yeah, he's a serious guy. he was on the short list. very much seen as a moderate in the party. i think one of the things this does show is there's a lot of discontent, obviously, with george bush, not only among liberals but also among republicans who are disappointed in his legacy, and in some ways they're still carrying that burden. in the years to come, there are a lot more shoes to drop on this administration. bush shamelessly said that he didn't know how history would judge his presidency because we'd all be dead. but, of course, that's not true. people are kind of rehashing the legacy of h
so, i think that john ashcroft's independence and integrity deserves a little bit of respect. if he thought that there was a reason to do so, he probably had some pretty good reasons. he may not have been right, but he believed so. don rumsfeld, i mean, it is hard to imagine a less politically sensitive person than don rumsfeld. >> we all know tom ridge, a former governor of pennsylvania. he was on the short list to be john mccain's running mate last year. he's a pretty serious guy....
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john ashcroft and donald rumsfeld. it is a bit of a surprise to hear ridge make these claims, he strikes one as the ultimate team player, but a lot has been said about his political ambitions. perhaps he wanted to create a little distance between himself and the white house or perhaps he wanted to speak his mind. his critics are suggesting he wants to sell some books. jeanne meserve, cnn, washington. >>> so at the bottom of the hour, we'll have specific exerts from the memoir and look at specific comments during this time period. >>> in the meantime, we want to turn to this. a bloody week in baghdad is leading to new security measures. wednesday was the worst day of violence with more than 100 people killed and 500 wounded in a series of attacks. cnn live from the capital. what is being done in this violence? >> reporter: well, betty, the iraqi government convened an emergency meeting on wednesday after the attacks took place saying they would have to implement increased security measures, things like check points, esp
john ashcroft and donald rumsfeld. it is a bit of a surprise to hear ridge make these claims, he strikes one as the ultimate team player, but a lot has been said about his political ambitions. perhaps he wanted to create a little distance between himself and the white house or perhaps he wanted to speak his mind. his critics are suggesting he wants to sell some books. jeanne meserve, cnn, washington. >>> so at the bottom of the hour, we'll have specific exerts from the memoir and look...
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ashcroft was advocating to raise it based on the fact of the intelligence. bob muller himself made a case not to raise it. >> he's saying he felt politics played in to those decisions and it was the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of getting to decide to get out of federal government. do you think politics came in to the equation at all during the time when it came to deciding whether or not to raise the threat level. >> not only do i not think politics played any part in it at all it was never discussed. the only thing discussed is that summer -- earlier there was a threat against the financial district, the bin laden tapes, and another tape by a u.s. citizen, a member of al qaeda. it was a very threatening tape. so the discussion revolved around what the intelligence was. there was no discussion of politics whatsoever. >> it's john. there's controversy following the 2004 democratic national convention in boston when the threat level was raised and was later found out that a lot of the information, some of the information that play in to that dec
ashcroft was advocating to raise it based on the fact of the intelligence. bob muller himself made a case not to raise it. >> he's saying he felt politics played in to those decisions and it was the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of getting to decide to get out of federal government. do you think politics came in to the equation at all during the time when it came to deciding whether or not to raise the threat level. >> not only do i not think politics played any part in...
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ashcroft. a spokesman for rumsfeld called the claim nonsense. thterror threat level was not ra posed by hurrito bcahehrbet nei posed by hurricane bill which has been losing steam as it churnsut in the atlantic.t itexpected to pass between be thanuds. md aiaiand mo.orr both the east coast and bermuda are already feeling its effects. whether channel meteorologist jim cantore is in bermuda and he has got the very latest. jim. >> reporter: conditions with bill have been getting worse all afternoon. a steady rain and gusty wind have been moving into the area. tropical storm winds are now sustained here on bermuda. some of the higher hills are seeing winds over 55 miles an hour. all of these areas are going to get worse as we go through tonight and on into tomorrow morning. but the biggest threat continues to be from the wave action. we have had huge surf come crashing into bermuda today along the beach shores. we have high tide tonight and again tomorrow morning to get through. perhaps at the time o
ashcroft. a spokesman for rumsfeld called the claim nonsense. thterror threat level was not ra posed by hurrito bcahehrbet nei posed by hurricane bill which has been losing steam as it churnsut in the atlantic.t itexpected to pass between be thanuds. md aiaiand mo.orr both the east coast and bermuda are already feeling its effects. whether channel meteorologist jim cantore is in bermuda and he has got the very latest. jim. >> reporter: conditions with bill have been getting worse all...
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beyond what had been approved by then attorney general john ashcroft. the cia said ashcroft subsequently approved the repetitions. the report says the 9/11 suspect was also told if anything else happens in the united states, we are going to kill your children. >> it's a violation of american law, and whoever did it should be prosecuted. whoever authorized it, should be prosecuted as well. if in fact that's what happened. >> reporter: civil liberties groups have been battling cia censorship in court for years to find out who ordered the program. >> was it the cia itself? who in the cia or was it somebody outside the cia? was it political officials outside the cia who were the energy behind the programs? >> reporter: the strongest defender of the program, former vice president dick cheney, who said last may today's report would vindicate his decisions. >> i believe this information will confirm the value of interrogation of detainees, and i am not alone. >> reporter: on that point, this report is not that definitive. it says, there is no doubt the program
beyond what had been approved by then attorney general john ashcroft. the cia said ashcroft subsequently approved the repetitions. the report says the 9/11 suspect was also told if anything else happens in the united states, we are going to kill your children. >> it's a violation of american law, and whoever did it should be prosecuted. whoever authorized it, should be prosecuted as well. if in fact that's what happened. >> reporter: civil liberties groups have been battling cia...
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ashcroft asked for the move and ridge said he refused and left government service soon after. a spokesman for rumsfeld tells fox news the allegation is nonsense and that al qaeda had repeatedly threatened to launch more attacks during more americans during that time. if you work in front of the t.v. camera, you know that matching images with words is a key part of our job. we will bring you one example of that not working out too well. and outrage abounds over the and outrage abounds over the release of a man responsiblee [bell ringing] the way the stock market's been acting lately you may wonder if you've been doing the right thing. is the advice you've been getting helping or hurting? are the fees you're paying really worth it? td ameritrade's fees are fair and straight-forward. their research is independent and unbiased. their investment consultants are knowledgeable and there when you need them. so why not talk to one? announcer: call today to schedule a free investment check-up, or visit a td ameritrade branch. next if you had a hoveround power chair? the statue of libert
ashcroft asked for the move and ridge said he refused and left government service soon after. a spokesman for rumsfeld tells fox news the allegation is nonsense and that al qaeda had repeatedly threatened to launch more attacks during more americans during that time. if you work in front of the t.v. camera, you know that matching images with words is a key part of our job. we will bring you one example of that not working out too well. and outrage abounds over the and outrage abounds over the...
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john ashcroft and donald rumsfeld. it is a bit of a surprise to hear ridge make these claims, he strikes one as the ultimate team player, but a lot has been said about his political ambitions and perhaps he wanted to create a little distance between himself and the bush white house or perhaps he just wanted to speak his mind. his critics are suggesting he just wants to sell some books. jeanne meserve, cnn, washington. >>> the health care battle tops our news this hour. president obama meeting right now with former democratic senator tom daschle, who he is viewed as an expert on the issue. votes are being counted across afghanistan following yesterday's election. official there's calling it a success, although 26 people were killed in election day violence. >>> hurricane bill may not be making a run of the u.s., but it is still affecting much of the east coast. swimmers and boaters are being warned about rip currents and high waves from northeast florida to new england. >>> so, who is the cnn hero of the week? find out
john ashcroft and donald rumsfeld. it is a bit of a surprise to hear ridge make these claims, he strikes one as the ultimate team player, but a lot has been said about his political ambitions and perhaps he wanted to create a little distance between himself and the bush white house or perhaps he just wanted to speak his mind. his critics are suggesting he just wants to sell some books. jeanne meserve, cnn, washington. >>> the health care battle tops our news this hour. president obama...
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ashcroft an defense secretary donald rumsfeld are. in a forth coming book, called the test of our times, ridge reports the pressure came just before the 2004 presidential election. he says that ashcroft and rumsfeld pressed him to increase the terror threat level to orange from elevated. osama bin laden had issued a videotape threatening attacks. but december site there -- despite that there was no support for boosting the terror level and he refused. i wonder is this about security or politics and he said this reinforced his decision to resign from the administration. susan roberts, cbs news, washington. >>> former homeland security adviser says intelligence was the only motive for the change in the alert back in 2004. >>> pope benedict xvi had the cast removed from his wrist today. he broke it five weeks ago after falling on vacation in the alps. doctors say it healed up well and he pope will undergo rehab to regain strength in that hand. >>> here's something to make you smile. the winning numbers will be revealed here on wusa9.com.
ashcroft an defense secretary donald rumsfeld are. in a forth coming book, called the test of our times, ridge reports the pressure came just before the 2004 presidential election. he says that ashcroft and rumsfeld pressed him to increase the terror threat level to orange from elevated. osama bin laden had issued a videotape threatening attacks. but december site there -- despite that there was no support for boosting the terror level and he refused. i wonder is this about security or politics...
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in his upcoming book tom ridge writes former defense secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft urged him to raise the level based on a non-specific threat and tapes from osama bin laden. he says the encounterled to his resignation. >> and a woman is in critical condition after an attack by a swarm of bees she was sitting on her back porch when the swarm attacked. officers tried to fend off the bees with fire distinguishers but it only enraged them. and a wanted man apparently on the run after being charged in the murder of his ex-wife. police belief ryan jenkins fled to his native canada after being identified in the death of former model jasmine fiore. she was found stuffed in a suit case missing her teeth and fingers. he was the winner on "i love money" and a perspective constitutor on "megan wants a millionaire." >> a popular all-you can-fly program has become a little too popular which is why jetblue airlines suspended its $699 all you can fly pass. jetblue had said it would run that promotion through friday night or while supplies last, well apparently the promotion allowed cust
in his upcoming book tom ridge writes former defense secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft urged him to raise the level based on a non-specific threat and tapes from osama bin laden. he says the encounterled to his resignation. >> and a woman is in critical condition after an attack by a swarm of bees she was sitting on her back porch when the swarm attacked. officers tried to fend off the bees with fire distinguishers but it only enraged them. and a wanted man apparently on the run...
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he writes after osama bin laden released the threatening videotape, attorney general john ashcroft and donald rumsfeld pushed him to elevate the public threat level, but he refused. mr. ridge calls it a "dramatic and inconceivable event that proved most troublesome" and reinforced his decision to resign. former bush chief of staff andy card vehemently denies the allegations. tonight we ask you, do you believe that the bush administration manipulated national security issues for political gain? tell us what you think by going to the "nightline" page at abcnews.com or join the conversation any time on the "nightline" twitter page. >>> next week on "nightline," at the center of the obesity epidemic confront the problem head on. >> kind of like one day, you know, you have a big kid and you always had a big kid and you wake up the next day and you're like, wow. like does he -- is it okay for him to be that big? >> we'll take you behind the scenes at a full camp where the young people facing the dangers of obesity learn to eat right and win back not only their health but their self-esteem. t
he writes after osama bin laden released the threatening videotape, attorney general john ashcroft and donald rumsfeld pushed him to elevate the public threat level, but he refused. mr. ridge calls it a "dramatic and inconceivable event that proved most troublesome" and reinforced his decision to resign. former bush chief of staff andy card vehemently denies the allegations. tonight we ask you, do you believe that the bush administration manipulated national security issues for...
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ashcroft huddled for an urgent meeting to decide whether to raise the color coded threat warning from yellow to orange. tom ridge reports a vigorous discussion ensued. ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the tlefl level and rumsfeld agreed. there was no support for this in our department. i wondered is this about security or politics? post election analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the president's approval ratings in the days after the raising of the threat level. listen to then vice president cheney ten days before the bin laden tape. >> the ultimate threat is the possibility of their succeeding and getting a biological agent or nuclear weapon, smuggling it into the united states, into one of our own cities and raising the specter of being able to kill hundreds of thousands of americans. >> reporter: in the summer of 2004 a few days after the democratic national convention the white house had raised the threat level. charges of political manipulation denied by ridge at the time. >> we don't do politics in the department of homeland security. >> at the tense meeting,
ashcroft huddled for an urgent meeting to decide whether to raise the color coded threat warning from yellow to orange. tom ridge reports a vigorous discussion ensued. ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the tlefl level and rumsfeld agreed. there was no support for this in our department. i wondered is this about security or politics? post election analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the president's approval ratings in the days after the raising of the threat level. listen to...
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ashcroft are trying to dismiss the accusation, or at least people speaking for them are. but a lot of people aren't, of course, buying the denials. ridge's account of what happened only confirms what bush critics on iraq and related issues always believed, that the white house politicized the terror threat to scare people into voting republican. >>> plus, what's going on with health care reform? opponents are saying president obama is pushing big government. that he's moving the country towards socialism while liberals argue he's not moving left enough ands
ashcroft are trying to dismiss the accusation, or at least people speaking for them are. but a lot of people aren't, of course, buying the denials. ridge's account of what happened only confirms what bush critics on iraq and related issues always believed, that the white house politicized the terror threat to scare people into voting republican. >>> plus, what's going on with health care reform? opponents are saying president obama is pushing big government. that he's moving the...
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john ashcroft the attorney general, he wrote him a bogus letter. tried to get him to answer it that was to harvard shame. by the way. i'm serious about that all right. you both have two wrong and one right. it is a tie but a pathetic tie. all right. here is question number four. our pal jane fonda who loves me dearly recently played an obnoxious mother-in-law. >> don't you touch me you two bit tramp. >> oh. >> oh my god, viola i'm so sorry i didn't mean. >> you don't slap somebody and then apologize. get some backbone. es. >> this is crazy. >> how about giving peace a chance. >> how many times has ms. fonda been married? cards up, please. correct. three marriages. do you know who they were? >> tom hayden, roger, ted turner. bill: excellent. very good. still a tie with one question to go. >> can we forget about the dancing now? bill: no. steve: it's on youtube already. bill: finally sean penn made his name playing a stoner. >> good morning. >> what's the reason for your truancy? >> just couldn't make it on time. >> you mean you couldn't or you would
john ashcroft the attorney general, he wrote him a bogus letter. tried to get him to answer it that was to harvard shame. by the way. i'm serious about that all right. you both have two wrong and one right. it is a tie but a pathetic tie. all right. here is question number four. our pal jane fonda who loves me dearly recently played an obnoxious mother-in-law. >> don't you touch me you two bit tramp. >> oh. >> oh my god, viola i'm so sorry i didn't mean. >> you don't...
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ashcroft. ridge says the request, which he refused, helped to convince him that it was time for him to leave the bush administration. former homeland security advisor francis townsend says politics never played a role in the alert level being raised. >>> a new "washington post" abc news poll shows president obama's numbers dropping. 49% of people polled say they believe he will make the right decisions for the country down from 60% at the end of his first 100 days in office. the debate over health care reform is blamed for bringing down those numbers. >>> our other top stories, there is a last-minute rush to get d.c. public school students vaccinated before school begins on upon. you have chanced today and tomorrow to get shots for incoming students at clinics across the district and for the first time, d.c. has mandated girls as young as 11 get the gardisil vaccine that protects girl from cervical cancer. some see this as a controversial move but parents can opt out without explanation. >> the
ashcroft. ridge says the request, which he refused, helped to convince him that it was time for him to leave the bush administration. former homeland security advisor francis townsend says politics never played a role in the alert level being raised. >>> a new "washington post" abc news poll shows president obama's numbers dropping. 49% of people polled say they believe he will make the right decisions for the country down from 60% at the end of his first 100 days in office....
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attorney general john ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the threat level supported by donald rumsfeld. there was no support for that position within our department, none. i wondered is this about security or politics." post-election analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the president's approval rating in the days after the raising of the threat level." the position of dhs ultimately prevailed because the white house staff agreed that raising the threat level could look plilgly motivated and said "i believe it pulled the go i've-up advocates back from the brnik. but politics, fear, credibility and security, after that episode i knew i had to follow through with my plans to leave the federal government." mr. ridge also claims that his department was justified in raising the terror threat level to orange in august of 2004 for the financial centers in new york, new jersey and washington. the warning had come just three days after the democratic national convention and it soon became evident that the evidence supporting that warning was about four years old and largely out of dat
attorney general john ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the threat level supported by donald rumsfeld. there was no support for that position within our department, none. i wondered is this about security or politics." post-election analysis demonstrated a significant increase in the president's approval rating in the days after the raising of the threat level." the position of dhs ultimately prevailed because the white house staff agreed that raising the threat level could look...
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. >> john ashcroft reveals an american named jose pedestrian i will padilla aarrest didilla i. psychiatrists find padilla is so trauma tiesed he's no longer mentally fit to stand trial. he is nonetheless convicted of conspiracy. but he is never tried, nor even charged with any so-called dirty bombs nor with attempted terrorism in the united states. number three, february 5th, 2003, secretary state powell sells the u.n. security council of iraq's concealed weapons including 18 mobile biological weapons laboratories justifying a u.n. or u.s. first strike. many in the u.n. are doubtful. months later, much of the information proves untrue. february 7th, 2003, two days later, anti-war demonstrations protesting the imminent invasion of iraq continue to take place around the globe. >> take some time to prepare for the emergency. >> homeland security secretary ridge cites credible threats by al qaeda and raises the terror alert level to orange. three days after that, prior administrator who had become the acting head of fema after the hurricane katrina disaster advises americans to sto
. >> john ashcroft reveals an american named jose pedestrian i will padilla aarrest didilla i. psychiatrists find padilla is so trauma tiesed he's no longer mentally fit to stand trial. he is nonetheless convicted of conspiracy. but he is never tried, nor even charged with any so-called dirty bombs nor with attempted terrorism in the united states. number three, february 5th, 2003, secretary state powell sells the u.n. security council of iraq's concealed weapons including 18 mobile...
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ashcroft asked for the move and ridge said he refused and left government service soon after. a spokesman for rumsfeld tells fox news the allegation is nonsense and that al qaeda had repeatedly threatened to launch more attacks during more americans during that time. if you work in front of the t.v. camera, you know that matching images with words is a key part of our job. we will bring you one example of that not working out too well. and outrage abounds over the release of a man responsible for almost 300 murders. (announcer) your doctor knows tylenol doesn't interfere with certain high blood pressure medicines the way aleve metimes can. that's one reason why doctors recommend tylenol more than any other brand of pain reliever. bret: today's release of the only person ever jailed for the bombing of pan am flight 103 21 years ago has sparked outrage from victims' families and objections from the white house. correspondent amy kellogg explains why a convicted terrorist is now out of prison. >> he got to go home, something none of the victims in the bombing of flight 104 never
ashcroft asked for the move and ridge said he refused and left government service soon after. a spokesman for rumsfeld tells fox news the allegation is nonsense and that al qaeda had repeatedly threatened to launch more attacks during more americans during that time. if you work in front of the t.v. camera, you know that matching images with words is a key part of our job. we will bring you one example of that not working out too well. and outrage abounds over the release of a man responsible...
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ashcroft. informed the waterboarding had been used 119 times on a single individual. in congressional testimony last year, ashcroft said waterboarding was rarely used. >> my understanding it has been done three times. >> reporter: the cia has long since suspended the harshest techniques. cia director leon panetta says this agency makes no excuses for behavior, however rare, that went beyond the guidelines of counterterrorism. the white house took the cia out of the al qaeda interrogation that will report to the fbi. brian ross, abc news, new york. >> most economists are applauding president obama's decision to reappoint ben bernanke as chairman of the federal reserve. they credit bernanke to taking aggressive action to avert an economic catastrophe during the financial meltdown. >> the cash for clunker program has come and gone but has left a mountain of paperwork behind. the government's computer system just couldn't keep up, so dealers will have a little more time to submit their sales. >> re
ashcroft. informed the waterboarding had been used 119 times on a single individual. in congressional testimony last year, ashcroft said waterboarding was rarely used. >> my understanding it has been done three times. >> reporter: the cia has long since suspended the harshest techniques. cia director leon panetta says this agency makes no excuses for behavior, however rare, that went beyond the guidelines of counterterrorism. the white house took the cia out of the al qaeda...
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that he was pressured by top bush administration officials, including secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft, to raise the terror threat level from yellow to orange the weekend before the 2004 re-election election. re-elections of the presidency for president bush that is. in other words, the bush team tried to manipulate hype, if you will, the terror eye letter level to invite panic and win votes right before his re-election tuesday. we'll get all that in tonight. >>> also tonight, has president obama gone to original alert in his health care reform push? today's "wall street journal" reports that the white house and democrats are considering splitting the health care reform bill into two parts so they can ram through the public option part solely with democratic votes. michael smerconish did his radio talk show today with the president in the white house. he joins us later. >>> a lot of president obama's supporters are unhappy with the way he's handled the health care debate. our own roger simon said instead of drawing a line in the sand, mr. obama has drawn a squiggle in the mud.
that he was pressured by top bush administration officials, including secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft, to raise the terror threat level from yellow to orange the weekend before the 2004 re-election election. re-elections of the presidency for president bush that is. in other words, the bush team tried to manipulate hype, if you will, the terror eye letter level to invite panic and win votes right before his re-election tuesday. we'll get all that in tonight. >>> also...
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he alleged a few days before the 2004 election he was pressured by john ashcroft, donald rumsfeld, and perhaps other hs in the bush cabinet to raise the terror alert. he thinks it it was perhaps for political purposes. do you believe tom ridge or donald rumsfeld? >> this is a tough one. you know, there's part of me that wonders is this a publicist going out there and really trying to gin up support for a book that maybe is not going to be as exciting as it's been promoted? on the other hand, i have a lot of respect for tom ridge. he's a guy i was really actually hoping john mccain would pick as his vice presidential candidate, and, you know, if i was going to pick between the two, i would side with ridge over rumsfeld. >> isn't that troubling then that even you, a republican -- >> you bet -- >> think ridge is probably telling the truth which means the bush white house played politics with the terror alerts? >> well, you know, again, i'm not going to discount what governor ridge said, and i'm really curious to see what's the context, you know. again, it's one thing for a publicist to pu
he alleged a few days before the 2004 election he was pressured by john ashcroft, donald rumsfeld, and perhaps other hs in the bush cabinet to raise the terror alert. he thinks it it was perhaps for political purposes. do you believe tom ridge or donald rumsfeld? >> this is a tough one. you know, there's part of me that wonders is this a publicist going out there and really trying to gin up support for a book that maybe is not going to be as exciting as it's been promoted? on the other...
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ashcroft, the attorney general, tried to politicize the national threat alert on the weekend before the 2004 bush re-election. u.s. congressman joe sestak joins us from philadelphia. you were admiral in the navy working at the pentagon at the time. what do you make of this? this is in the book, by the way. it's not put out by some publicist. it's in the text of the book. tom ridge, former u.s. congressman, former combat veterans of vietnam, all kinds of awards as a warrior, he's real. what do you make of this? >> he is real, and this is a disappointment, that the security of the united states can become a political football is unacceptable. on the bigger picture, when you see that we have had an administration that politicized everything from attorney general's elections over to intelligence and the selection of it to go into a war, you begin to understand rapidly why, one, people really do believe even if they don't know tom ridge, why this is probably true, and, second, why so many have lost faith in washington, d.c., and their politicians. where principle is after politics. >> do
ashcroft, the attorney general, tried to politicize the national threat alert on the weekend before the 2004 bush re-election. u.s. congressman joe sestak joins us from philadelphia. you were admiral in the navy working at the pentagon at the time. what do you make of this? this is in the book, by the way. it's not put out by some publicist. it's in the text of the book. tom ridge, former u.s. congressman, former combat veterans of vietnam, all kinds of awards as a warrior, he's real. what do...
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that he was pressured by top bush administration officials, including secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft, to raise the terror threat level from yellow to orange the weekend before the 2004 re-election election. re-election of the presidency for president bush that is. in other words, the bush team tried to manipulate hype, if you will, the terror alert level to invite panic and win votes right before his re-election tuesday. we'll get all that in tonight. >>> also tonight, has president obama gone to orange alert in his health care reform push? today's "wall street journal" reports that the white house and democrats are considering splitting the health care reform bill into two parts so they can ram through the public option part solely with democratic votes. michael smerconish did his radio talk show today with the president in the white house. he joins us later. >>> a lot of president obama's supporters are unhappy with the way he's handled the health care debate. our own roger simon said instead of drawing a line in the sand, mr. obama has drawn a squiggle in the mud. we'll b
that he was pressured by top bush administration officials, including secretary donald rumsfeld and john ashcroft, to raise the terror threat level from yellow to orange the weekend before the 2004 re-election election. re-election of the presidency for president bush that is. in other words, the bush team tried to manipulate hype, if you will, the terror alert level to invite panic and win votes right before his re-election tuesday. we'll get all that in tonight. >>> also tonight, has...
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he is saying john ashcroft and drufed pressured him in the days leading up to the 2004 election to raise the national security alert level higher than he thought was warranted. what do you think of these allegations? >> number one, tom ridge was an excellent governor. an excellent public servant. i believe him. but i regret the fact that he waited until now to say it. if, in fact, that is what happened. his veteran instinct would have been to say it immediately and get out and to say this is a wrong thing. of course, that way he could have blunted the false implication of the message. this way, waiting until now, it's not as effective, it's not a useful. >> do you ever see -- i mean, we all wish for that, but have you seen very often people stand newspaper the moment and speak out? are there examples on your mind? >> watergate. attorney general. >> elliott richardson? >> right. saying this is wrong. i'm out of here. yeah. it's been done. it takes a lot to do it, i think, because you're a member of a party, a member of the team, you don't want to injure them too much at the time. colin po
he is saying john ashcroft and drufed pressured him in the days leading up to the 2004 election to raise the national security alert level higher than he thought was warranted. what do you think of these allegations? >> number one, tom ridge was an excellent governor. an excellent public servant. i believe him. but i regret the fact that he waited until now to say it. if, in fact, that is what happened. his veteran instinct would have been to say it immediately and get out and to say this...